4 Minutes In A Parallel Universe

Writing here for the two hundredth time. Wow. Just a short one though as I have other business to attend to at this time of the year...

One of the many (many) things that people think is strange about me is my wearing of earplugs at work. It originally came from people playing the radio too darn loud with my particular area at work being directly under a speaker. I'd turn the thing down a few notches, then someone would turn it up... so eventually I thought "the hell with you" and started taking little foam earplugs with me - the ones I take to rock concerts etc. They can knock at least 20dB off the sound level, maybe even 30dB - so you can enjoy the music while protecting your ears, and they also have the side effect of turning the sound down on the obnoxious local radio DJ who insists on talking all over the bloody records...

However, I find they're a great concentration booster at work, shutting me off from the distracting and sometimes inane babble of the workplace. I can get on with the job and keep myself to myself, which I like to do. Particularly at this time of year.

Today, though, I found myself even more removed from physical reality than usual. They put a particular song on the radio, and I suddenly found myself thinking about a certain person, and thinking about what if certain circumstances had been different. It was like a quick trip into a parallel universe, and a distant smile came to my face as I temporarily exchanged places with this one. A smile which stayed on my face for hours.

The person and the circumstances don't need to be discussed here. In fact, I'm not sure why I'm even telling you about this. Maybe all I wanted to do is link to the song. And why not? It's worth linking to.

PLAIN WHITE T'S - HEY THERE DELILAH
(from the album "All That We Needed", 2005)